Bonga Oil Spill Update: Agbakoba leads NIMASA’s legal team against Shell

Nigerian Maritime Administration and  Safety Agency, NIMASA, has concluded plans to file a legal action against Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC,  over  environmental  damage by the  Bonga oil spill that has affected over 70 communities in the Niger Delta.

NIMASA’s Director- General, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi,  who disclosed this, weekend, in Warri, said the agency has assembled a team of environmentalists and maritime lawyers led by Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), in  its battle to ensure that Shell pays compensation to the affected communities.

Akpobolokemi stated that Shell has not lived up to its responsibility and acted unsatisfactorily during the Bonga spill crisis.

He said at a point, Shell was trying to put the blame on a third party spill, a claim that was later discovered to be false as analysis of samples taken from both the so  called third party spill and the spill from Bonga were one and the same.

Akpobolokemi said leaders from the affected communities have met while legal presentations have also been passed on to the team of lawyers.

NIMASA is also collaborating with sister agencies to ensure that the legal battle against Shell is concluded in favour of the affected communities.

Akpobolokemi said: “We have set up the teams made up of environmentalists and lawyers led by  Olisa Agbakoba (SAN)  and they are in contact with the communities. They are working with NIMASA’s marine environment department, the marine safety department as well as the entire management of NIMASA.

“We have given them the go ahead to pursue this case to a logical conclusion. The facts  are there that Shell erred. There are facts that the spill from Bonga is the spill that affected the communities.”